Hermetically-sealed receptacle



W. E. TAYLOR.

HERMETICALLY SEALED RECEPTACLE. APPLICATION FILED IANI. I9I6.

1,337,491. Pawnted Apr. 20, 1920.

' P22-57.1 1 JE f5' @mm1/troc attoznet UNITED lSTATES PATENT oEEIcE.

lTJ'ILLIAM E. TAYLOR, 0F EAST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOB TO AMERICAN .CANy COMPANY, A CORPORATION GF JERSEY.

HERMETICALLY-SEALED RECEPTACLE.

Specification of Letters atent. Patent-.3Q 23(1),

Application leid lanuary Y, 1916. Serial No. 70,859.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, l,VILLAM E. TAYLOR, a citizen of the United States, residing at East Orange, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hermetically-Sealed Receptacles, of which the following is a specification; p

The inventlon relates to the hermetic sealing of cans and other receptacles made of tin orv its equivalent, and particularly to that class of receptacles the body and end or ends of which are provided with outwardly extending flanges united by a se arable malleable metal` sealing strip which embraces and holds together said flanges with a hermetic closure. Such a receptacle is opened by turning up the end of said strip with the aid of a knife or other suitable instrument, or by the fingers, and then stripping or unwinding the strip from the can flanges, so as to release the end or cover and make the same easily removable.

Many of the c ans so closed, especially' when they contain certain food products, require to be processed, that is to say, to be subjected to ya considerable degree of heat. Such processing usually causes the expansion of the contents to exert a pressure within the can, which is necessary to be resisted by the seal so as to maintain its hermetic character. This pressure is more or less according to the nature of the product which is being packed, varying ordinarily from about six to twenty-seven pounds, more or less.

The invention has several objects in view includin the maintaining of the hermetic seal durmg the sometimes rough handling and transportation of the can, in quantities, during the processing, and thereafter until the can is opened; the keeping ofthe strip seai securely in its proper place around the lianges of the can; and the easy removal of the strip when the can is Iintentionally opened.

The conditions to be met in this type of can closure are somewhat difficult., because the strip must be held from accidental Adisplacement' by means which will not cause complaint from users that the can is difficult to open; and the holding'means which meet both of these conditions must be sim le and inexpensive so as not to add materially to the cost of the can or of the sealing operaconsists in the tion. l attain the desired results by utilizing the corner of the can end shoulder as a :retalnlng means against radial displacement of the sealing strip, the latter or aportion v thereof being formed to extend slightly over and within said corner.

With such objects in view the invention parts and combinations thereof hereinafter set forth and claimed, with the understanding that the several necessary elements constituting the seal may be varied in proportions and arrangement without departing from the nature of the invention. .I

In order to make the invention more clearly understood there is shown in the accompanying drawings means for carrying the same into practical eHect, without limiting the improvementsfin their useful applications, to the particular construction which, for the purpose of explanation, have been made the subject of illustration. In the said drawings- Figure l is a side view of the closed can.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same.

Fig. 3 is a partial plan view showing the ends of the sealing strip abutted instead of being lapped. Y

Fig. 4 1s a vertical section of the can end or cover, enlarged.

Fig. 5 is a similar View of the upper end of the can.

Fig. 6 is a similar-view of the can with the cover sealed in place thereon.

Fig. 7 is a plan view of the sealing strip, bent or formed into annular sha e.

Fig. 8 is a cross -section of lt e same on line VIII-VIII of Fig. 7.

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of a portion of the strip in strai ht form adapted to be wound onto the can 'anges in a known manner.

Referring to the drawings, 1 indicates the body of the can formed at its mouth with an outstanding peripheral flan e 2. 3 is the can end or cover formed wit a central de-I pression 4 the Walls 5 of'which are adapted to engage within the walls of the top end of the can, and formed with an outstanding peripheral flange 6 corresponding preferably 1n position and diameter with the flange 2 so that it may fit therewith in parallel arrangement (Fig. 6). 7 is a packing or ringliner arranged so that it will be included be- `tween the can flanges when the can is sealed.

It may be of any suitable material. A composition applied on the interior face of one of said flanges, or an interposed paper ring may be successfully employed. Such a paper or other ring may be fed into place during the closing opration, or it may be preliminarilyapplied or attached to the can body flange 2 or to the can end flange 6 in any suitable manner.

A is the sealing strip, of various preliminary forms as indicated. It may be of angle form in cross-section (Figs. 7 and 8) having a horizontal flange 8 and averticalv flange 9, or it may be of IU-shape in cross section having parallel flanges 1.0 (Fig. 9). It may also be straight or of annular orm,

yboth of such shapes being illustrated.

The said sealing strip has its top member 10 Va little elongated to extend inward slightly over and within the corner of the cover, as shown at 11, to aid in holding the cover from displacement during the processing and subsequent handling. This elongation or lip, being at theextreme edge of the fits on the cover flange 6, after which theflange 9l is rolled or pressed tightly against the underside of the body flange 2.

When the strip is straight and of U-form or angle shape or other suitable formation, it may be wound lonto the can flanges, the latter serving as a former on which the strip is bent into annular contour and rolled or pressed into sealing position.

During the operation of applying the seal ing strip to the can flanges,\or as a subsequent operation, as may be preferred, the strip and interposed flanges 2 and 6 are bent into arch form (Fig. 6) so that said parts are smoothly curved from the inner to the outer boundaries or limits of the flanges and strip. The arch is indicated as upward but it may be downward. The arched form described does not impair or displace the packing 7 or detract from the hermetic seal which it aids in effecting; it causes the strip to be held on the can because the strip must move outward, and also turn on itself, on certain precisecurved lines as indicated in dotted lines at aul (Fig. G) in order to become detached; and when the can is to be intentionally opened thestrip comes smoothly away when pulled downward in the right direction, not being held to the flan es by any shoulders, offsets or interlocking ormations.` In order to start the removal of the strip the upper inner corner of its-free end is pried up and outward, and as soon as a small'portion of the strip has been set free it may be grasped by the fingers, or hand, and pulled off, the can being at the same time turned around.

The seal is illustrated in connection with a round can, but it may be applied to sardine cans of the usual form, orto other cans.

The seal herein describedfis 'effective and successful for packing goods great quantities of which do not develop high pressure in processing, and probably it can be successfully usedin cases where higher pressures'are encountered. The force and permanency or durability of the clamping action of the sealing strip depends largely upon the thickness or strength ofthe metal of said strip, and also upon the sealing pressure which is exerted upon lthe strip in performing the packing operation. These matp tersare within the judgment of the skilled operator to attain the best results.

It will be understood that the flan es 2 and 6 may be iven more -or less o the arched form in t e making of the body and cover, as seen in Figs. 4 and 5.

lVhat is claimed is Y l. A removable seal for sheet metal receptacles, the same consisting of a body outwardly flanged around its mouth, a cover formedwith a marginal flange and a central depression and shoulder seated 'in the' mouth of the receptacle, and a malleable metal sealing strip embracing the upper and lower faces of the flanges of the body and cover and holding them together to form an hermetic -joint, the upper and lower members of said strip and the cover flange and the body flange being arched upwardand substantially parallel, the upper member of said strip .having a lip extending over and slightly within the corner of the shoulder of said cover.

2. A removable seal for sheet metal receptacles, the same consisting of a body-outwardly flanged around its mouth, a cover formed with a marginal flange and a central depression and shoulder seated in the mouth of the receptacle, and a malleable metal sealing strip embracing the upper end and lower faces of the flanges of the body and cover and holding them together to form an hermetic joint, the upper member of said strip having a lip extending over and slightlywithin the corner of the shoulder of said cover.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature hereto.

WILLIAM E. TAYLOR, 

